The Good Doctors

Anthony Sandoval and Bob Kempainen mastered medicine and the marathon

A case could be made that Anthony Sandoval and Bob Kempainen were the finest American marathoners of their respective eras. Sandoval’s Olympic Trials record of fourth in ’76, first in ’80 and sixth in ’84 is miles ahead of anyone else who competed during that period, and his 2:10:19 from ’80 remains a Trials record. Kempainen’s third in ’92 and first in ’96, supplemented by performances like his 2:08:47 at Boston, clearly put him on a different level from that of his contemporaries.

Today Sandoval rarely talks about the disappointment of 1980, and yet it has stayed with him for more than a quarter century. "Over time the real impact has been that it was a loss type of event, and the loss has continued and actually grown," he explains. Still, Sandoval is thoroughly happy with his life in his beloved New Mexico and, despite a hectic schedule, he continues to run each morning. "Running in my life has a presence just as it did before, but in a different form," he explains. "Now it’s much more focused on my kids, who are very involved. But it’s just as special, just as endearing to me as ever."

Kempainen, who has been away from competition for a full decade now, seems fully satisfied with his athletic accomplishments. "I did most of the things I set out to do — the Olympics, the World Cross County Championships, running well at Boston and New York." His focus now entirely on his family and a demanding profession, Kempainen manages to fit in at least a short run most days. "All I need is half an hour on some trail," he says. "It’s great just to be doing that."

"Neither Anthony nor Bob ran that many marathons, yet they both had very illustrious careers," concludes Dave Martin. "And they both moved on to bigger and better things, I think at just the right time. They’re similar in that way too."